Every so often during my childhood, my mom, brother, and I went to a buffet-style salad restaurant for dinner. We usually planned our visits along with my brother’s best friend and her mom, so we ended up snagging a big booth for the five of us to sit together.
As fairly picky eaters, my brother and I rarely grabbed much from the salad bar line. We skipped past the pre-made salads and plain salad greens, put a scoop of plain cold pasta salad on our plates, and added a small amount of corn or carrots and crunchy croutons. But we always promised Mom that we’d grab a plate full of fruit in the back of the restaurant once we paid at the register at the end of the salad bar line!
In addition to the fruit, we also picked out a few things from the hot food bar, like the little rectangular slices of four-cheese pizza just 1” wide and 3” long (definitely our favorite!). One day while waiting for the kitchen to set out fresh slices, I grabbed a cornbread muffin, but I didn’t realize there were whole corn kernels hidden inside… So I picked out each little piece because I hated “bits” in my food back then (corn in cornbread, nuts in brownies, even onions in spaghetti sauce!), and I never reached for another one of those cornbread muffins again.
Then the very best part of every meal (for us kids!) was always dessert. We placed a warm brownie into a little bowl, topped it with lots of vanilla, chocolate, or swirled ice cream from the restaurant’s soft-serve machine, and showered that with sprinkles and crushed Oreo bits. Pure bliss to little kids!
When I recently drove past a shopping center in Southern California with the same restaurant chain, I smiled at all of the memories that came flooding back… And because I’m adult and not so picky about “bits” in my food, I decided to bake these Ultimate Healthy Cornbread Muffins, a more wholesome version of the ones from the restaurant!
These ultimate healthy cornbread muffins are just as moist and tender as the originals, even with no oil, refined flour or sugar, and they’re super simple to make. No mixer required—and almost as easy as a boxed mix! Even better, they’re just 116 calories!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY CORNBREAD MUFFINS
Let’s talk about how to make these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins!
You’ll start with a blend of cornmeal (like this!) and white whole wheat flour (this kind!). White whole wheat flour is named because it comes from a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour is made from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture. That makes these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins really tender and also lets the cornmeal flavor truly shine!
I prefer my healthy cornbread muffins to actually taste corny (if that makes sense!), so I always use more cornmeal than flour. Both finely ground and medium-grind cornmeal will work!
Nerd alert #1! Not all brands of cornmeal measure and weigh exactly the same. Look at the side of your box or bag of cornmeal, and find where it displays the serving size in both cups and grams.
You need 180g of cornmeal for this recipe. For some brands, that’s 1 ½ cups, or 30g per ¼ cup… But for others, ¼ cup is 33g or 36g or even 43g. Yikes! So if you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s the nerdy thing to do to make sure your cornbread turns out perfectly.
Step 1: Divide 180g by the number of grams in ¼ cup of your cornmeal. For example, if your cornmeal is 33g per ¼ cup, divide 180 by 33. That equals 5.455.
Step 2: Divide that number from Step 1 by 4. In our example, that would be 1.364. This is the number of cups of your cornmeal that you need!
Step 3: If your decimal places look a little funky, like in our example, multiply just the decimals by 16. For our example, that’s 5.82. This is the number of tablespoons, in addition to that 1 cup of cornmeal, that you need! So for our example, we’d use 1 cup + a scant 6 tablespoons.
Lots of math! Are you still with me?? Because here comes…
Nerd alert #2! It’s extremely important to measure the cornmeal and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either ingredient will make your cornbread muffin turn out dry, rather than moist and tender.
Psst… If you have a kitchen scale, you don’t need to do the math to figure out cups + tablespoons. You just need to weigh 180g of your cornmeal!
Now let’s move on to easier things… Like the rest of the ingredients!
Because you’re just using ½ tablespoon of butter (hooray for keeping them low calorie!), the rest of the tender texture in these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins comes from Greek yogurt. You know how much I love baking with it! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to the batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories… And it gives your ultimate healthy cornbread muffins a protein boost, too!
Nerd alert #3! To also increase the moist and tender texture, you’ll add in a small amount of white vinegar. I know, it sounds a little crazy… But I promise you can’t taste it! The acid in the vinegar reacts with the baking soda (a base!), and this makes your ultimate healthy cornbread muffins rise better and turn out with a more tender texture.
Nerd alert #4! One more not-so-common ingredient in these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins… Vanilla extract! The vanilla actually enhances the flavor of the butter, so it makes these healthy cornbread muffins taste as rich as traditional recipes. Pretty cool, right??
Because I know many of my friends and family love to drizzle their warm cornbread with honey, I only added a tiny amount of honey to the batter. I didn’t want anyone to get a sugar rush just from eating ones of these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins! 😉
And just like I mentioned earlier, I bravely added whole corn kernels to these ultimate healthy cornbread muffins. Although my childhood self wouldn’t approve, my adult self does! I used canned corn that I rinsed and drained for an easy shortcut. (Just make sure the only ingredients are corn, water, and maybe salt!) You can definitely use fresh corn instead if it’s in season! Frozen corn also works. Just remember that your muffins may take an extra minute or two to finish baking!
I think I’ll skip the chili… And maybe even those irresistible tiny slices of pizza… Just give me a few of these and I’ll be all set! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy cornbread muffins!
| The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread Muffins | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) cornmeal (measured like this; see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) honey (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) distilled white vinegar
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- ¾ cup (115g) corn kernels (see Notes!)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line 12 muffin cups with paper muffin liners. Coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the honey and white vinegar. Alternate between adding the cornmeal mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the cornmeal mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the cornmeal mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the corn kernels.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
I know vanilla sounds like a strange ingredient for cornbread, but trust me! Vanilla enhances butter’s flavor, so it makes these cornbread muffins taste just as indulgent as traditional recipes. (I highly recommend using butter instead of coconut oil for that reason!)
I know vinegar also sounds like a strange ingredient for cornbread, but trust me on this, too! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cornbread muffins rise and give them a more tender texture.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
IMPORTANT CORNMEAL NOTES: Not all cornmeal is the same! You want 180g of finely ground or medium grind cornmeal (like this!) for this recipe. Also, not all cornmeal brands weigh the same. Look at the side of your box or bag of cornmeal, and find where it displays the serving size in both cups and grams. If you’re measuring by cups (not grams) and ¼ cup of your cornmeal doesn’t weigh 30g, then see the Nerd Alert #1 in my blog post above to determine how much of your cornmeal to use! (It’s really important to use the correct amount; too much will dry out your cornbread muffins!)
It’s very important to measure both the cornmeal and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I have!) Too much of either will dry out your cornbread muffins, instead of the moist and tender texture they should have.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
HONEY + SWEETENER NOTES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey. We prefer our cornbread on the not-so-sweet side since we usually serve it with a drizzle of honey (and a small pat of melted butter, if you’re feeling indulgent!). If you like sweeter cornbread muffins, substitute additional honey, pure maple syrup, or agave in place of an equal amount of the milk.
CORN KERNELS NOTE: I used canned corn that I rinsed and drained as a shortcut! If doing so, make sure the only ingredients in your canned corn are corn, water, and possibly salt. Fresh corn kernels and frozen corn kernels will also work. If using frozen, you may need to bake your muffins for a few additional minutes.
If you aren’t a fan of corn kernels in your cornbread (trust me, I get it!), then you can easily omit the corn kernels!
RECIPE VIDEO: To see how this recipe is made, watch this video of mine. (It’s for my regular baked-in-a-pan cornbread recipe instead of muffins!)
MORE TIPS: For more information about this recipe's ingredients and instructions, see the Nerd Alerts in my blog post above the recipe!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread
♡ Healthy Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Buttermilk Cornbread
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Whole Wheat Rolls
Hi! Would it be possible to use almond flour instead of the gluten-free flour blend you provided? And also, could I use Apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar? 🙂
Thanks! Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Janice! Apple cider vinegar should work in place of the plain white vinegar. However, I typically don’t recommend using solely almond flour as the gluten-free alternative. This is because almond flour lacks gluten, which is the protein that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Without it, your cornbread muffins will likely turn out denser and may collapse a bit while cooling. However, as long as you don’t mind that texture difference, the flavor should remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these!
Can this recipe be doubled? I know sometimes doubling can be tricky, and I’m for sure an amateur!
I’m honored that you’d like to try these cornbread muffins, Matty! Yes, I think it should be fine to double this particular recipe, especially since they’re individual muffins (as opposed to being baked as a loaf or in a cake pan!). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
This recipe looks great on paper but unfortunately was totally flavorless 🙁
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe April! That sounds really disappointing and not like how these muffins are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. 🙂 Would you mind elaborating a bit about what you didn’t like about their flavor? Was it not sweet enough or something else? Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? How was the muffins’ texture?
Once I know your answers to all of those questions, I should have a better idea of the potential culprit and how to fix it!
Hi! I did, indeed, follow the recipe completely (used a scale as well) and while the texture was good, it just didn’t have any flavor. Very dull-I made up for that by making sure it was served warm and I also piped cranberry jelly into the center of them to give them a blast of flavor. No worries-thanks for responding. Just wasn’t the recipe I was looking for~
It’s my pleasure, April! I’m always happy to help. 🙂 Did you use the modification in the Notes section to make sweeter cornbread muffins? If you piped cranberry jelly into the centers, then it sounds like that modification might be better suited to your tastes! You can easily add up to an additional ½ cup of honey. Just make sure to omit an equal amount of milk, and you’ll be all set!
Thanks for the input. It’s not that they weren’t sweet enough (the jelly was piped to add some pizazz but not necessarily sweetness), there was just something missing with the overall taste. But thank you for your responses!
You’re welcome, April! I’m trying to figure out what could be missing… I always like a good puzzle to solve! 😉 Was the corn flavor not as robust as you had hoped? What brand of cornmeal did you use? And what type of corn kernels? Or was it something else (if you can put your finger on it, of course!)?
Thanks for the recipe … looks like a winner. Has anyone tried using whole eggs and reducing the milk? Or just one whole egg with no milk reduction? I despise separating eggs and don’t mind the extra fat
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe! If you’d like to use 2 whole eggs, then reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cornbread muffins if you end up making them!
Thanks for the tip. I tried it the way you suggest and it came out great. I only had AP flour and reduced the honey to 1 TBSP. Still good, but my honey reduction was probably a mistake… it was missing the sweetness even though I was trying to lower sugar intake.
It’s my pleasure, Ken! I’m glad it turned out well! 🙂 Do you have a preferred no-calorie sweetener? We may be able to modify this recipe to use that so you still taste the sweetness but are able to lower your sugar intake!
This looks great! I love quite a few of your recipes! What would you use as a substitute for Greek yogurt (I’m lactose intolerant)?
Thanks!
The directions were very easy to follow and the recipe itself was quite easy to put together. The only deviation to the instructions were not using liners in the muffin pan, and substituting unsweetened applesauce instead of butter. I like the look and texture of the muffins, but found them to have little taste (should they taste like that?) Perhaps adding more honey, maple syrup?
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Curtis! I’m glad to hear you at least enjoyed their texture. I’ve actually covered what to do if you’d like to use more honey or maple syrup to make your muffins sweeter in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss that bit! 😉
Also, as strange as these next two things may sound, I’ve found these cornbread muffins actually taste better the second day, once the flavors have had a chance to meld more. I’ve also found they taste sweeter when they’re cold and straight from the fridge. (That’s actually my favorite way to eat them!)
Yum!! These have great texture and flavour. Loved that the ingredients were specified by weight. I decided at the last minute to do a loaf instead of muffins and it worked great too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cornbread Alex! Thanks for sharing about turning it into a loaf. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work!
Hi Amy, I’m just a little confused if I use six tablespoons of honey or maple syrup for sweeter muffins how much milk should you use?
Thanks for all your great sweet receipes!
Allyson
These looked so good. I measured carefully. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to look like but the batter was quite thick and the muffins came out really hard. I even went back and reread the ingredients and instructions but I couldn’t find my mistake.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Debbie! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cornbread muffins should turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you!
Was their flavor okay, and it was mainly the texture? Or was the flavor off as well?
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, cornmeal, yogurt, and honey?
If you used measuring cups, can you describe how you used them to measure the flour and cornmeal? (Did you use my fork technique that I linked to in the Ingredients list and Notes section?)
What’s the exact cornmeal (brand + product name!) that you used? How much of it did you use?
Did you happen to watch the video I linked to in the Notes section of the recipe? (Located directly underneath the Instructions!) You’ll see what the batter should look like and its consistency if you watch that video!
Was your batter thicker than mine was in the video? (As thick as cookie dough, for example?)
How long did you bake your cornbread muffins?
Were they darker in color than the ones in my photos?
Were they hard and crunchy? Or crumbly? Or something else? (I just want to make sure I fully understand their texture!)
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them! 🙂
I followed the recipe to the letter and they tasted fine – not too sweet which was nice! However the texture was heavy, dense and rubbery. Why so many leavening agents?? Seems like overkill?
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Lynda! We’re so glad you enjoyed their flavor. That’s not the texture they should have though, so we’re happy to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, we have some questions for you!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, cornmeal, yogurt, and honey?
If you used measuring cups, can you describe how you used them to measure the flour and cornmeal? (Did you use our fork technique that we linked to in the Ingredients list and Notes section?)
What’s the exact cornmeal (brand + product name!) that you used? How much of it did you use?
Which flour option did you use: white whole wheat flour or the gluten-free blend provided in the Notes section?
What brand of distilled white vinegar did you use?
Did you use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter? If not, what did you use instead?
Did you happen to watch the video we linked to in the Notes section of the recipe? (That section is located directly underneath the Instructions!) You’ll see what the batter should look like and its consistency if you watch that video!
Was your batter thicker than ours was in the video? (For example, was yours as thick as cookie dough?)
How long did you bake your cornbread muffins?
Did they rise while baking but collapse while cooling? Or did they not rise at all (ie they had completely flat tops with no hint of a rounded dome)?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂